1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a broadband wireless communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for multi-hop relay communication in a broadband wireless communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fourth generation (4G) communication system, which is a next-generation communication system, has been introduced to provide users with services of various Quality of Service (QoS) levels at a data rate of about 100 Mbps. More particularly, 4G communication systems are advancing in order to support high speed services by guaranteeing mobility and QoS in Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) communication systems such as local area network systems and wireless metropolitan area network systems. Representative examples include an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard communication system. To support a broadband delivery network, the IEEE 802.16 standard communication system adopts Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)/Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) scheme in a physical channel.
The IEEE 802.16 standard communication system ensures mobility of a Mobile Station (MS) and flexibility of the wireless network configuration, and to provide more efficient services in a radio environment under severe changes of traffic distribution or traffic requirement. One approach considers a communication system which adopts a multi-hop relay data delivery scheme using a Relay Station (RS). Using the RS in the broadband wireless communication system, coverage of a Base Station (BS) can be extended and its throughput can be enhanced. That is, by installing the RS in a particular area of poor channel environment, signals can be delivered. The MS traveling outside the coverage of the BS can communicate with the BS by installing the RS around the cell boundary.
To apply the multi-hop relay scheme as described above, the system needs to provide additional functions. For example, a scheduling method of the BS for controlling the RS, a scheduling scheme for guaranteeing the resource use of the RS, and a function for setting the access between the RS and the MS and the access between the RS and the BS are necessary. Therefore, it is impossible to utilize conventional equipment of the BS designed for a single-hop communication because there are difficulties in developing and deploying the multi-hop relay scheme.
Therefore, a need exists for an apparatus and method for utilizing a multi-hop scheme in a single-hop communication.